The biggest names in the NBA this season who are most talked about possible departures are none other than Simmons and Lillard. According to some recent news, whether these two people left the team or stayed in the team is still confusing.
The soap opera that the Philadelphia 76ers and Simmons have been dragging on for a long time seems to have a glimmer of light in the near future. Management's insistence on changing to an All-Star level, along with the idea of a number of first-round picks, made it more difficult for the West to leave Philadelphia.
Recently, according to the famous journalist Shams, Simmons's deal negotiations have been undercurrents, and the Knicks, Lakers, Timberwolves, Trail Blazers, Kings, Pacers, and Cavaliers have all become interested in Simmons.
But how attractive the offers from these teams are to the 76ers is unclear. If the 76ers still open their mouths, then the trade for Simmons will only continue to stagnate like the offseason.
Looking back at the whole incident, it also starts with the 76ers' defeat in last season's semifinals. At the absolute heart of the team, he scored his worst playoff career 11.9 points in that semifinals and the worst 34.2 percent free throw shooting percentage in league history.
So the 76ers lost in the semifinals that time, Simmons really has a lot of responsibility. Coupled with the fact that he has never been able to develop his long-range shooting ability, it has always been a major flaw in him, which has also made him the target of public criticism.
But Simmons has been selected as an All-Star three times in five seasons of his career, twice selected as the best defensive team, once elected the league steal king, and averaged 15.9 points, 8.1 rebounds, 7.7 assists and 1.7 steals per game, which is also his value.
The ruthless insults of some members of the 76ers and fans made it difficult for Simmons to stay in Philadelphia. From the initial refusal to report, barely showing his face in training, and the fine for the ban, the former "next James" can only pray that a team can successfully take him away.
But he is better off saving than saving himself, NBA reporter Marc Stein recently broke the news that the Simmons camp released a message that he is happy to play for the Spurs: "I heard that if the Spurs find a way to trade, then Simmons will be happy to have the opportunity to play for Popovich. ”
The Spurs have been underperforming in the early days of the game, falling to second-to-last in the West. However, after the start of the 4-13 loss, they rose to catch up and achieved a wave of 6-4, and are currently in 12th place in the West with a record of 10 wins and 17 losses.
Although the Spurs, a rebuilt team, are still difficult to make into the playoffs, they may only need a boost to have a chance to get playoff tickets, after all, they and the 9th Timberwolves are only 1.5 wins apart.
At the same time, if you want to be in the top six in the West and get the playoff opportunity directly, you are only 4 games away from the Lakers. And Simmons could be that boost, and the only question is whether the Spurs can play a trade chip that makes the 76ers management nod.
According to previous reports, the 76ers want all-Star players like Lillard, but the Spurs' best player in the team now is only Murray, who has averaged only 18 points, 8.4 rebounds and 8.3 assists this season.
If the Spurs add other young players or a large number of first-round picks, it seems difficult to expect Simmons' ability to lead the team alone. So if Simmons wants to go and the Spurs are willing to take it in, it can only be seen whether the Philadelphia management is willing to compromise.
Speaking of another star who has been trapped in trade rumors, Jock Ronin, who has just succeeded Olsey as the interim general manager of the Blazers, also immediately took office and firmly stated to the 76ers that his star is not for sale.
WoShen revealed that the current 76ers are actively seeking not a single exchange transaction, they are also seeking the possibility of multi-party transactions. With McCollum as the main chip determined that the trip could not be achieved, the Blazers also put reinforcement targets on other candidates.
It just so happened that the Pacers announced that They would put Le Vere, Sabonis Jr. and Turner on the shelves. Even after putting them on the trade shelves, the team has ushered in a wave of consecutive wins, but the team has not dispelled the idea of rebuilding at present.
So there are a lot of teams that have targeted the Pacers, and Sabonis Jr. is unquestionably the all-around big man for every team. Although he failed to play last season's 20+ stats, he still averaged 18.6 points, 11.9 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.1 steals per game.
LeVert's tall stature would also be a more suitable partner for Lillard. The 1.98-meter-tall forward-back swinger has not had as many opportunities this season because of rookie player Duarte blocking the way.
Still, LeVert averaged 15.7 points, 2.9 rebounds and 3.2 assists per game. If he really wants to go to a team with sufficient firing rights, then he may not be able to play the previous output of 20+ per game.
If the Blazers want a higher ceiling, the first choice is probably Turner. Turner, who is 2.11 meters tall and has an arm span of 2.24 meters, has been the core of the team's defensive center in the penalty area since his debut from the Pacers in 2015-2016.
Although Turner has not been named to the Best Defensive Team or the best defensive player, it is undeniable that his defensive ability is definitely underestimated by the league, because his ability to guard the box is extremely strong.
Turner has averaged 12.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game this season, and as the league's current block king, if he can maintain this momentum, then he has a good chance of winning the third career block king honor this year.
More importantly, Turner is now an excellent high-altitude battery. This season, he averaged a career-high 4.8 shots from outside the three-point line, shooting 1.8 from 1.8 and shooting 39.8 percent from three-point range, a career high.
Expanding his offensive range beyond the three-point line, Turner didn't waste the box and mid-range jump shots, shooting a career-best 51.4 percent from the field and 68.4 percent from the basket.
A 25-year-old who is defensively A+ level, can shoot three points, and can also play the peak of his career in rebounding and shooting rate, what team does not want to grab? If the Blazers really want to keep Lillard, it will have to be effectively reinforced to make sense.
Both Simmons and Turner can deliver the Blazers' coveted defense, but if they can't grab players of this level, does it make sense to keep Lillard? While the Blazers have hopes of impacting the playoffs, the situation of attacking strong and defending has not improved.
After Billups took office, the Blazers' defense remained poor, with a defensive efficiency of 112.6, ranking fourth from the bottom in the league. If they continue to pursue nothing, then the Blazers can only let Lillard continue to become a meaningless "empty slash emperor".
Instead of letting Lillard waste his career and even discourage Lillard, it is better to trade it early, so that the other side can go to a strong team to compete for the championship, and second, it can also exchange some chips for the Blazers.